Bulgaria awards highest state honour to departing ambassador of Greece
Bulgaria has conferred its highest state honour, the Stara Planina first degree, on outgoing Greek ambassador Grigorios Vassiloconstandakis.
Vassiloconstandakis, whose term in Bulgaria ends in October, was given the honour for his services to the development of Bulgarian-Greek relations and co-operation.
Speaking at the ceremony on September 3, ambassador Vassiloconstandakis highlighted the co-operation between Bulgaria and Greece as an indispensable factor for overall prosperity and peace in the region.
He spoke with affection of the many places that he had visited in Bulgaria, including Strandzha, the Black Sea, “the heart of Bulgaria in Veliko Turnovo and Arbanassi”, Elena, Karlovo, the beauty of the Rhodopes, the history of Pleven, Plovdiv and Rousse”.
President Roumen Radev, who handed over the award, said that the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and Greece is an achievement of the two countries, “which we can be proud of, because it is an invaluable contribution to the European architecture for peace, stability and prosperity”.
The relations between Bulgaria and Greece are proof of how a strategic partnership can be built in the Balkans in a spirit of mutual trust and healthy political, economic, cultural and educational ties between the countries, he said.
(Photos: president.bg)
